LOUISVILLE, Ky. — As Kentucky braces for another round of winter weather, it is important to heed the warnings because of the health consequences.
What You Need To Know
- Norton Healthcare's Dr. Mitchell Elliot discusses health during winter weather events
- One of the biggest issues that people can run into is hypothermia
- Besides shovels and gear, Elliott says extra sets of warm clothes in case of an emergency is important
- Elliot advises Kentuckians to continue to heed the warnings from city and state officials and to limit outdoor exposure
“I think people think because we are not in the far north, we don’t deal with these issues as much, but obviously it gets very cold,” said Dr. Mitchell Elliott, a family medicine physician with Norton Healthcare.
One of the biggest issues that people can run into is hypothermia.
“They think people who are experiencing moderate to severe hypothermia have about a 40% mortality rate, so it’s actually extremely deadly,” said Elliott.
One of the best ways to defend against the cold is preparation. Besides shovels and gear, Elliott says extra sets of warm clothes in case of an emergency is important.
“It’s a good idea if people may keep a set of warm clothing and their car, like warm gloves and hat and dry socks, and maybe even a blanket,” he said.
Elliott says our body tries to maintain our body temperature in the core first to prioritize essential organs. But, our internal defenses can only protect us so far. Overdressing in the cold and doing strenuous activity will make you sweat and ultimately zap your body heat faster.
“If things are cold and wet, if you have wet socks or wet gloves, the best thing you can do, and it may seem kind of paradoxical, is to remove them because they’re actually making your situation worse,” Elliott advised.
Elliott said that luckily for Kentuckians, frostbite is not super common here in the Commonwealth. But he recommends making sure you keep your extremities warm.
He advises Kentuckians to continue to heed the warnings from city and state officials and to limit outdoor exposure.
“I would just recommend that everybody tried to think about the cold before they go out. It is unfortunately common that people only consider what the worst case scenario would be out in the cold when they’re in it,” he added.
Elliott noted that one of the risks of cold-weather activities in people could be an increased risk of heart attacks. He advises elderly folks or people with heart conditions that demanding activities like shoveling snow in your driveway is very taxing in the cold.